Stay
by NightKDuet
Summary: "I apologize," Sasuke said, breaking the silence. It took a second for the words to sink in. SasuHina.
1. Chapter 1

**Stay**

**SxHxSxH**

She really tried to keep her teeth from chattering but it just would not cooperate. She would have ran to her apartment had she not sprained her ankle. She was just thankful that it was not a major sprain so she didn't bother to heal herself and instead decided to save up her energy for her walk home.

She had misdirected her chakra-laden, water-fused attack toward the waterfall, causing massive explosion of water, soaking her completely. She just had simple training clothes on, not intending to stay out too long. The night air was chilly and the forest was quiet. Normally, she would be enjoying herself, walking in the moonlight in the dark forest, basking in the stillness and peace….had she not gone and soaked herself through.

"Hinata," a voice called out from behind her. Startled out of her thought, she looked back at the owner of the voice who had a simple black uniform on, staring at her with steady gaze.

"S-Sasuke-san," Hinata said, trying to keep her voice from chattering. Wrapping her arms more tightly around herself, she looked down at the ground. It was uncomfortable to be scrutinized under his intense gaze but she stayed still, not knowing what to say.

Ever since he came back, they had gone on missions few times together and had spoken, mostly about the mission in hand. He had even come in few times at the hospital where she was interning after he had sustained injuries. So while it was exactly nerve wrecking, she wasn't completely comfortable especially when the silence stretched on longer. She shifted to turn to the side, intending to keep going. "Good n-night."

Hinata heard him sigh. "You're going to get sick." Hinata heard his footsteps drawing closer and in the corner of her eyes, she saw him pass her by. She thought that that would be the end of their conversation but he stopped back in his track and glanced back at her.

"Hurry up," Sasuke said, impatiently, as he waited for her.

"Oh, umm." Hinata was confused at his behavior and debated whether to follow. Her body acted on her own before she could think in through. She was tired and cold and his words were the clearest thought that she could follow in her fogged up mind.

Sasuke walked lithely, barely making any sound. She tried not to drag her foot but she was just not as graceful especially when her sprain was shooting pain through her leg each step she took.

If he noticed, she was grateful that he didn't say anything. She looked up to see that they had arrived at the Uchiha residence and she just numbly followed him in.

"You could wash up," Sasuke said as he reappeared in front of her with a set of clothes and pointed to the far door on the hallway. She looked up at him in surprise and accepted the clothes.

"Thank you," she said quietly. He was so nice to her. He didn't say anything snide and instead anticipated what she would need before she said anything.

When she had finished and she was getting in the clothes that she had received, she panicked because his pants did not fit her. Fortunately, his shirt was long and it reached her mid-thigh. She bit her lips and decided what to do. Should she call out?

"Umm, Sasuke?" Hinata called out, softly. She didn't hear anything and in the dim light, she saw a couch in the middle of the living room so she decided to wait there.

She cautiously opened the bathroom door and snuck out. She was careful not to make any noise. She didn't want him to wake up if he had already gone to sleep. She was almost to her destination when her foot caught on the tip of the carpet and she tripped over, causing a loud ruckus.

"Oww," Hinata mumbled as she looked at her knees, knowing that it was going to bruise.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke had emerged out of the darkness and he was looking at her with slight confusion. Then his eyes followed down to where she was holding her knees and her eyes followed his and immediately had a full blush on her face as she realized that the shirt's length had gotten shorter and it was just barely covering the tip of her thigh.

In the corner of her eyes, she saw that he immediately looked away as she tried to hastily get up, wondering if she had accidentally flashed him. But her legs had been close together and it was dark. She just prayed that it was enough to prevent any display of indecency.

Flustered, she looked down and almost shoved the pants to his hands. "I'm sorry, i-it didn't fit." She could feel his gaze on her mixed with amusement and intensity.

"Wait here," Sasuke said, as he took it back and disappeared into his room again.

So she leaned back on the couch with her legs to the front and let her eyes rest. She really was going to wait but her eye was threatening to close and she was simply too tired. She tucked her feet underneath her and put her head on the arm of the couch. Before she knew it, she was drifting off to a blissful slumber.

**SxHxSxH**

She awoke with a start and saw that it was still dark. She tried to move but felt herself trapped, something heavy wrapped around her. She panicked for a second, wondering if someone was kidnapping her and she looked down to find that it was actually an arm. Her heart jumped and she sifted through her mind quickly, trying to remember what happened last night. Her eyes followed the arm wrapped around her waist and she came across pale skin and black hair.

She froze, shocked at the situation that she found herself in. She looked down to see that she still did have clothes on and breathed a sigh of relief. She saw that one arm underneath had made its way to her shoulder and the other arm was wrapped completely around her waist. She raked her brain to figure out what could possibly have happened. The last thing that she could recall was falling asleep with her head on the arm of the couch.

She tried to inconspicuously back away slightly but she found that his grip on her was firm. She cautiously peeked at his face, raising her head upward, praying that she did not wake him. She squeaked to find her eyes settle on his dark ones. She tried to scramble away clumsily, only managing to put her two hands out and scoot back to create some space.

"You're going to fall if you do that," Sasuke said as he looked at her amusedly.

She stopped struggling when she heard his voice. "S-Sasuke-" She could feel her cheek radiating and her heart beating erratically. She wanted some kind of explanation or anything else that would make this situation less embarrassing.

"You were cold," he said, blandly. "I didn't feel like waking you up."

Well, that didn't make any sense but they were both true. Frankly, he could care less about giving any kind of explanation and she was too busy being embarrassed to register anything in her mind.

His voice had broken her out of her reverie and she started struggling against his grip again, putting her hands on his shoulder to push herself away but his arms didn't move. "W-What? I-I don't, t-that is," she managed to stutter out. She hated that she was babbling on. "I'm s-sor-"

Her apology was cut in mid-sentence. "Stop apologizing," Sasuke sighed. It made her eyes water because she could only take so much embarrassment in one day. She tried to keep the tears at bay, willing them to back away until she felt his hand lift her chin up.

"What I meant was," Sasuke began hesitantly, his eyes softened. "You have nothing to apologize for," Sasuke finished his sentence, soothingly.

Hinata's eyes widened at his words. Was this his way of comfort? Why was he being so nice to her? Hinata's thoughts came to a halt when she realized that his hand was softly moving, grazing her cheek to settle on the back of her head. He combed through her blue hair gently, fingering the long blue tresses. It made her relax greatly and she felt her eyes droop. His eyes held hers in a gaze but she could not decipher what he was thinking.

She saw something flicker in his eyes akin to determination. "I apologize," Sasuke said, breaking the silence. It took a second for the words to sink in completely. It was another second before she felt his lips on hers. She was stunned as her head was firmly held in place by his hand and he pulled her up with his other hand to properly deepen the kiss. Without thinking, she placed her hands on his chest and drew him closer.

When their lips parted, she just closed her eyes and breathed, her forehead barely touching his. Strength had gone out of her and she felt lightheaded so she stayed still, trying to gather up her energy to form at least a coherent thought in the bombardment of emotions she was feeling.

The sudden thought that he might be playing with her causes her to shake slightly. She doesn't think she can face it. It would be too cruel for him to play with her feelings like that. But his heart was beating fast underneath her hand and that itself told her that he was affected also.

"Hinata," Sasuke called her name. She opened her eyes to see his expression of concern tinted with uneasiness. Her doubt and fear was immediately replaced as she came face-to-face with one of the most vulnerable expressions that she saw in Sasuke.

"Yes?" Hinata said, as she stared at him. Vaguely, she wondered where she found the voice to speak. She saw him hesitating and that made her smile. Without really thinking of her action, her hand reached out to him and caressed his cheek. As soon as her hand touched, she saw that he leaned into her touch willingly, which made her stomach flutter.

"I was waiting to do that," Sasuke stated, quietly. His words made her blush and she was going to retract her hand but he grabbed it and put it on top of his cheek like she had it before but he put his hand on top of hers to keep it in place. The intensity of his gaze seems to cut through to the very core of her being.

How long had he been waiting? She wondered as saw him take her hand to his lips and give a feathery kiss to the palm of her hand, which made her heart hammer in her chest. Her heart squeezed at the thought of him waiting until she would properly give him a glance; just waiting and looking only to find that she wouldn't look at his way. She knew how it felt like. Warmth and joy settled in as she looked at the man before her.

"Thank you," Hinata said as she gave him a genuine smile. With as much expression of appreciation she could muster, she drew closer. "For waiting."

Sasuke's eyes looked slightly away in what she presumed to be in embarrassment until his eyes came back to meet hers. She marveled at what a patient man he was and his thoughtfulness. "I didn't want to pressure you. I don't ever plan to… so you just have to tell me."

She felt his hand tighten around her waist but he stayed still, waiting for her. "Stay," he whispered.

"Okay," she smiled as she closed her eyes, buried her head to his chest, and listened to his heart beating. As she felt herself relax completely against him, she felt protected in his arms. Before she fell asleep, she felt him kiss the top of her head and whisper the three loving words to her.

**SxHxSxH**

**SasuHina. What more can I say? **

**-NightKDuet**


	2. Chapter 2

**I guess I kept on writing and it somehow magically produced Chapter 2… **

**Enjoy!**

**SxHxSxH**

Hinata slowly opened her eyes, sleepily, and snuggled closer to the warmth underneath her.

"Morning," a deep voice rumbled, waking her up from her daze. She looked up to see dark orbs staring at her. Like having cold water splashed, she became immediately alert, remembering what happened last night.

Blushing, she managed to stutter out, "Morning." She resisted the urge to run away out of sheer embarrassment. She wanted to hide her face but she couldn't do that with her practically lying on him. She felt herself being pulled and stayed still while he buried his face in her neck. When she felt his breath fan her neck, her heart pounded against her ribcage, rather painfully.

She felt like she was still dreaming and wondered if this was real. They stayed like that in the stillness of space. "I..I must be h-heavy," Hinata said, as she moved slightly to get off of him.

"No, not at all," he replied as he paused. "Unless…"

Then she felt her self roll and she closed her eyes. Her back landed on something soft and she slowly opened her eyes to see that they had switched position with him lying on top of her, his face still buried in her neck. She felt him smirk. "Was this what you had in mind? We can stay like this then we can call it even."

She felt her whole body being heated up. "U-Ummmm…" She grabbed his shoulders, not knowing what to do.

There was a quiet chuckle. "You're too easy." He was teasing her. His chuckle brought smile to her face. It was a tickling sensation that spread throughout her whole body, causing her to want to curl her toes.

"You should laugh more often." The words just burst out of her mouth. "I like…your laugh."

"I don't do that," Sasuke stated, his breath tickling her neck.

"B-But you just did," she puffed. Sasuke didn't answer but she felt something soft press against her neck, causing electricity to run down her body. She held her breath even as he slowly removed his lips. "Hinata," he started quietly.

He got up, bringing her up with him to sit on the couch facing each other.

With her cherry face, her clear white eyes stared at Sasuke who gazed at her with a tiny smile on his face. He looked a lot younger, more content. "You're blushing," Sasuke said.

"You're smiling," Hinata countered. Sasuke brought his face close to her suddenly, making her heart jump.

"I-" Hinata started as her eyes moved to the side. She wasn't used to being intimate and all her thoughts and feelings were overwhelming her. Her heart dropped as she saw her bare legs and remembered. "I-I, u-uh, need to c-change." Before he could react, she had slipped out and was heading toward the restroom, grabbing the shirt as if her life depended on it.

His words floated to her ears before she slammed the restroom door. "I didn't mind." She was pretty sure her whole face was combusting. She probably wouldn't be able to look at his face for a long, long time.

"Sasuke?" Hinata called out as she headed for the door. "I-I'll be going." She was feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed and she looked down as he stood in front of her. "T-Thank you for helping me."

His hand reached for her chin to raise her head up. He leaned forward, putting his other arm to rest on her shoulder so that they were on eye level. "You probably weren't even aware, huh?"

Hinata could not look away but her eyes conveyed sadness. "Yes."

"I made my decision. It's time for yours." Sasuke stated, looking straight at her. "Do you want to be with me?" Hinata could not easily say yes even though she wanted to. Yesterday night still felt like a dream and even today as she was standing before Sasuke, she had the urge to pinch herself to see if she would wake up and find that it had been a dream. But she was back to reality and the reality that she faced did not look that promising when she put Sasuke in the picture of her future. "Your answer?"

"I…I c-can't," Hinata stuttered out, her eyes watering.

Sasuke's eyes hardened without meaning to and his voice came out sharper than intended. "What do you mean you can't? Am I that repulsive?"

"No, no! I didn't m-mean it like that. I don't think I'm completely over liking N-Naruto-kun and I don't want to g-go into this relationship h-half-heartedly," she was a mess. "That would not be fair to you."

"I don't care," Sasuke said, frankly.

"A-And I don't know if this is love. I'm so confused," Hinata said, shakily. "I think I might need some time to think, to s-sort out. "

Sasuke sighed. "Hinata, You can be selfish for once. I don't care whether a part of you still like dobe," Sasuke paused as his eyebrows furrowed to form a deep frown. "Although it does make me want to punch him next time I see him," Sasuke said, thinking of all the ways that he could make Naruto's life miserable. "As for liking me…" Devilish smirk was forming in his face. "There is only one way to find out."

Hinata looked up at him, tears running down her face. "I d-did like…spending time with you," Hinata said with a blush, trying to wipe her tears with her hands. She looked at him with a small smile. She took in how his eyes were focused solely on her and there was cautiousness in his actions especially when it came to her. Without realizing it, her hand reached out to him and as it touched his skin, she stopped right away, realizing what she was doing. "I-I am so sorry." She tried to withdraw her hand until he snatched it with his hand.

"Like I said, I don't care," Sasuke claimed, sighing. He wrapped his arm around her waist to bring her closer. "You know, it's not everyday that an Uchiha declares his love for a woman." His tone was suddenly teasing. She smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing in his calming, masculine scent. She felt his arms tighten around her, bringing her closer. "Did you know you are the first person I saw after I woke up in the hospital?"

"I was?" Hinata asked, surprised. He must be talking about the time when he came back to the village, injured pretty badly. She was assigned to check up on him and monitor his condition once in awhile when he was unconscious.

"You probably thought I was sleeping," Sasuke stated. "But I heard you… You told me 'Welcome back' and… touched my hair like I was a kid who just returned home from training."

"Oh," Hinata said, lamely. Hinata tried to remember back to that time but failed. "I…I never knew."

"Well, you probably never noticed anything I did," Sasuke stated, dully. "Which is why I had to be more…direct." Sasuke paused before quickly adding, "And don't apologize."

Hinata smiled into his shoulder. "Is it really okay?" Hinata asked, weakly.

"Yes." He pulled back slightly and leaned in, touching his forehead with hers. "Stay with me. I prefer that you do."

**SxHxSxH**

**I might have one more…meh, we'll see.**

**-NightKDuet**


	3. Chapter 3

**I guess this is the last chapter. Enjoy!**

"No." Sasuke looked at her adamantly with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall while looking at her sitting on the dining table, her hands intertwining tightly in her laps.

"I-It's my fault," Hinata said with nervousness, not meeting his eyes. "It's a small price to pay…for freedom." The anxiety and tension were utterly choking.

"I'm not going to let them," Sasuke shot back, his eyes boring through her skull. There was firmness in his voice.

Hinata wished that she could believe firmly just like him but instead she felt defeated, her eyes lowering down to trace the wooden floor emptily. "I have… no other choice." The verdict has been made and decision has been final. There was simply no way out.

There was a heavy, tense silence in the room. "No wife of mine will have the seal."

Time seemed to stop as she absorbed his words. Her head whipped up so fast that it made her dizzy for a second. "W-What?"

She saw him stare at her intensely. "You do have a choice… that is, if you married me."

Hinata didn't care that she was staring with her mouth gaping at him, losing her ladylike composure. She saw him slowly walk and kneel in front of her, his hands grabbing her hands in her lap.

"If you become an Uchiha, I will make sure that they never lay a hand on you," Sasuke drew closer. Hinata looked at him, still frozen on her spot.

"In return," he smirked, pulling her head down slightly, their lips just inches away. "You would have to stay by my side in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

His voice was firm but his eyes said otherwise. She could see glimpse of nervousness and that made the proposal all the sweeter. "That's a big price to pay," Hinata replied, smiling, taking his cheeks on her hands. "I'm not sure what to choose," she teased, even though her eyes were watering already.

"Well, you don't know what you're missing," Sasuke stated, mockingly. Then his voice turned more serious. "Hinata, I'm serious. I can't imagine having anyone else but you." "Marry me."

"You don't know what you are getting yourself into. You are making an enemy out of Hyuuga,"

"I never back down from a challenge," he said, smugly. "Look, if it makes you happy, I'll do this diplomatically. I'll refrain myself from releasing Susanoo on them just for you."

"Sasuke!"

"Is that a yes?"

There was some sniffling and her voice came out small. "Why?"

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration but there was some humor in his voice. "Now you're just baiting me to say some corny shit, which I prefer not to do." Hinata had an amazing ability to make him feel happy, irritated, and worried all at the same time.

She didn't know if she was crying or laughing, but she sounded a bit hysterical even to herself. "I mean, why go so far?" Her hysteria died down until she settled on sadness with tears running down her face. "It's just…me," she whispered.

There was a deep sigh and she felt his hand cup her cheek. "You're not going to give this up until I say something embarrassing, huh?" He made her look up, bringing her teary, silvery eyes to meet his. "My answer to that would be because it's you."

Her lips quirked up in a slow motion, forming a wide, sincere smile. "Then my answer is yes."

**SxHxSxH**

There was a sound of tea being poured into the cup. Aquamarine eyes stared at her as he sat, quietly watching as she filled his cup. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Her white eyes moved to her cup and filled hers, quietly putting the teapot down on the table. She was wearing her casual clothes, dark purple shirt that complemented her pale skin with cream-colored skirt to match.

They were sitting on the tatami floor with her kneeling while he sat cross-legged across from her. The peaceful silence was broken by his voice. "You were once promised to me before you left the Hyuugas."

She froze in the process of putting her cup down, her eyes widening slightly. But soon resumed her action, gently putting it down on the table. White clashed with aquamarine as she asked, "How did you find out?"

There was a slight shift in his eyes. "I got the proposal from your father a day before finding out that you had left." There was an air of discomfort settling in.

Hinata sighed, "I see." She looked apologetically at him. "I hope you are not offended because I certainly did not mean to offend you." Her eyes settled on her tea, gripping the cup a little tighter in her hands. "It was a life I would not have thrived in."

There was a heavy silence until it was broken by his calm voice. "Are you happy?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in her answer.

There was a slight rustle as he turned his head to look out into the garden. Tension seemed to lift a little. "A life of being Kazekage's wife would have burdened you further with more responsibilities and duties."

She followed his eyes to look at the garden herself. "Yes, it would have overwhelmed me, I suppose. Someone else could certainly do a better job."

He turned his head back to her. "I disagree," he stated, firmly. "You would have been more than capable of taking that role had you accepted." Her eyes met his, surprised by his comment. "You are more resilient than you give yourself credit for." There was adamancy in his voice before his tone shifted slightly to acquiesce, "But I agree, it would not have brought you happiness."

"I'm honored that you think of me so highly. But thank you, that means a lot."

There was a sound of front door opening and closing. Both turned their heads to look at the newcomer. "Gaara, What the hell are you doing here?"

"Greetings to you too. Certainly having some manners would do you no harm." His sarcasm was blatantly obvious. "The lady of the household was gracious with her hospitality and invited me to drink tea," he stated, glaring at the offending Uchiha. Then he turned to Hinata. "I hope I'm not troubling you too much."

"No, not at all," Hinata said, quickly. "I hope that this visit is as agreeable as the other ones."

"_Kazekage-sama_," Sasuke stated, his tone certainly not matching up to the respect called for the title. "Hokage-sama happened to be looking all over for you and it looked to be an urgent matter."

"Oh?" Gaara sat there unmoving and shrugged slightly. "I thought Temari would have informed him that I was visiting an old friend." Gaara sighed as he got up from his seat. "I guess I have business to attend to." Hinata got up to follow him. He passed Sasuke on his way out and turned back to address Hinata. "Thank you for your hospitality. I certainly hope that we can have a longer chat the next time we meet… along with Sasuke-san, of course."

'_Hell no_,' Sasuke glared, standing behind her. Gaara smirked, amused by his reaction.

"I will come visit again next time I come to Konoha," Gaara said, as he gave a menacing look back to Sasuke. He turned to Hinata, his eyes much more softened. "I enjoyed your tea and your company."

She stepped in between them, feeling the tension. "You are welcome to visit anytime." She held out her hands for him to shake.

He took it, squeezing slightly and letting it go. "Take care." He disappeared in a whirl of sand.

"So…" His warm hand grabbed hers, his onyx eyes boring into hers. "What did he want?"

Hinata looked up at him, innocently. "We were just talking about our lives. We were acquainted since long ago when he became Kazekage and I was still a Hyuuga."

"Is he looking for a wife?"

She tilted her head to give a sideway glance at him. "I don't know." Her eyes furrowed to form an expression filled with curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

He mumbled something under his breath so that she couldn't hear. "Not that he should be looking here anyway."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He looked smugly at the Uchiha fan imprinted on the backside of her clothes. "Nothing at all."

**SxHxSxH**

**-NightKDuet**


End file.
